Cognitive Impairment and Celiac Disease by Roy Jamron

Roy Jamron

Roy S. Jamron holds a B.S. in Physics from the University of Michigan and an M.S. in Engineering Applied Science from the University of California at Davis, and independently investigates the latest research on celiac disease and related disorders.

Celiac.com 10/12/2006 - A new study examined Mayo
Clinic medical records for the years 1970 through 2005 to identify eight
male and five female patients, aged 45-79, showing cognitive decline within
two years of onset or a severe exacerbation of symptoms of biopsy-proven
celiac disease. Patients presented with amnesia, acalculia, confusion,
and personality changes, and most also had ataxia or peripheral neuropathy.
4 had folate, vitamin B12 and/or vitamin E deficiencies with no improvement
upon supplementation. Three improved on a gluten-free diet. It was concluded
"A possible association exists between progressive cognitive impairment
and celiac disease."

This was a limited study. While it looked at folate and
vitamins B12 and E, one major oversite of celiac disease research continues
to be a dearth of knowledge about levels of essential fatty acids in celiac
disease patients. Fat malabsorption is a primary symptom of celiac disease,
and the consequences continue to be ignored. Meanwhile, an accumulation
of evidence supports the critical role of omega-3 fatty acids in maintaining
cognitive and mental health. Omega-3 supplementation has even reversed
conditions such as schizophrenia in individuals, begging the question
of whether it is gluten toxicity or a fatty acid deficiency that may cause
schizophrenia in some celiacs.